In partnership with Harrisonburg City Public Schools and the Kennedy Center's "Any Given Child" initiative, Stone Spring will continue to implement a Fine Arts Integration program in each grade level.  Fine Arts instructional strategies in the areas of dance/movement, drama, music, and the visual arts will be integrated into units of instruction in each classroom.  In addition, every student will participate in a live arts experience in every art form. 

Arts Integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both.

SEE IT IN ACTION
 

Examples of Students Combining Visual Arts and Content in the Classroom

To the right on the pictures above is work done by Kindergarten students who used the art form of contrast to learn about winter weather and the picture of the turkey was created around the content of past and present using the art form of lines, color and texture. And to the left: First grade students examined Vassily Kandinsky’s artwork to then create art using various sized colorful circles as they were learning about shapes in their math unit.
 

Examples of Students Combining Drama Tools with Content 

Pictured above: students in 3rd, 5th and 2nd grade using several different drama strategies to complete a project in morning meeting, a language arts lesson, and a lesson about life cycles respectively. As one teacher put it so eloquently- "Drama based instruction includes a set of strategies that teachers can use to make engagement, participation and learning accessible to students of all abilities. These strategies are easily incorporated into the classroom environment in a variety of ways. They are simple to plan and are highly effective." As noted from this quote, when we learn a strategy such as poster dialogue, alphabet relay or zip zap zop we can use it multiple ways in multiple subject areas and in multiple points throughout  the school year just like any other educational technique.

Click to watch another great example

Live Art Experiences in Creative Movement facilitated by Jane Franklin Dance

More examples of teachers and students integrating visual arts in the classroom:

Ms. Gayhart's Class   Ms. Lam's Class  Ms. Roger's Class

For more information visit: http://ww1.nationalartstandards.org/